Back To Where I Was Before
by AllyPally2
Summary: Sequel to 'Blurry', Chris rides out on an important personal mission with a potentially dangerous outcome, accompained by Buck, which leaves Vin to keep Amy company, but does he have a secret agenda of his own? Reviews welcome :
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Magnificent Seven. The character of Amy is a figment of my imagination, and completely fictional, any resemblance to persons (living or dead) is unintentional. This is my second fan fiction story, in a series involving the character of Amy, so it would make more sense for you to read the first story 'Blurry', in case you haven't already, Thanks .

Back To Where I Was Before

"You realise, we do this…ain't no going back?"

Although he had been speaking quietly, Buck's voice resounded loudly in Chris' head. The grey haze of the early dawn before any glimpses of sunlight surrounded the two men, though neither one was tired. Both had been unable to sleep a wink all night, though for two different reasons. Buck had been awake, worrying about what the day might bring for his friend, and the consequences they might both incur from their actions. Chris had been awake, trying to remember his wife and son's faces. He fastened the underbelly strap of the saddle on his horse, and hoisted himself up, level with Buck who was already saddled up. He turned to look at his moustached friend. Buck looked slightly weary, partly from the lack of sleep, but mostly Chris suspected it was down to his concern over what they might encounter today, and where it could lead them. With a slight nod of the head he drew his back straight,

"We don't do this, there ain't no goin' forward either."

A loud knock at the door, knocked Amy out of her thoughts. She had been replaying the last few days' events over and over in her mind, trying to establish just how she's gotten into this position. She stared out of her hotel room window; from up here she could see most of the town. '_Standish Tavern'_ was directly in front of her, the place where she had first encountered the townsfolk, and some of the seven gunslingers that were hired to protect these people. Chris Larabee. The sound of knuckles rapping against the door again reminded Amy that she had company. She left her place beside the window and strode over to the door, grabbing the handle and pulling it back in one swift movement.

Vin Tanner had to bite the inside of his lip to stop himself from laughing at the perplexed look forming on Amy's face. She had whipped the door open, clearly expecting someone else to be calling in on her, and as she had soaked in the image of him, she had forced her surprised mouth shut and raised one eyebrow inquisitively. She stood there studying him carefully in that manner for a few moments, before she placed one hand on her hip,

"Mr Tanner, isn't it?"

Clearly she had been waiting for him to talk first. He threw a friendly smile at her, trying to ease her suspicion of him,

"Indeed it is, Miss Duke. But please, call me Vin."

"Okay…"she paused still inspecting him, "Vin it is."

"So, how'd you figure out who I am?" he enquired, catching onto the fact that he hadn't introduced himself. This time it was her turn to grin, only slightly though,

"I was stuck in Nathan's medical centre for a couple of days with this damn arm," she frowned as she pointed towards the sling on her right arm, "You didn't think he'd mention you lot to me at all?"

Even though she was smiling slightly as she spoke, Vin could notice the wariness in her voice as she spoke, She was very careful to keep in control of herself, obviously, although Nathan had explained to her about him and the other members of their little team, she didn't trust him, at least not completely. Not that he could blame her, a good part of his life now involved distrusting strangers, anyone who he met could recognise him and hand him in for the reward on his head, better to be safe than sorry.

"Not to be rude Mr T…Vin, but was there somethin' that you wanted?"

He shuffled his stance slightly, planning in his head the right way to phrase his sentence. He had been distracted by the recollection of Eli Joe framing him, and the fact that his name would never be cleared now after his death. Whilst he had been thinking about this, to Amy it appeared that he had just been stood there in silence.

"I was wonderin' if you'd like me ta' show you around Four Corners?" he smiled as earnestly as he could, to try and relax her, as he noticed that her shoulders raised a little in a defensive motion.

"An' just why would you wanna show a girl you've never met around town?"

"Friendly gesture?" she chuckled as she squinted at him, eyeing him up and down.

"Hmmmm," she paused, before staring up at him again, "Chris or Nathan ask you ta' do this?"

"If by '_this_' you mean show you aroun' town…"

"By _'this'_ I mean keep an' eye on me," she cut him off.

He looked down at her, his expression sincere now,

"No. They didn' ask me ta' spy on you Amy. But Chris did ask me ta' show you around, and only so that you know you're way around town," he added a little more forcefully, silencing Amy as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I don't plan on bein' around long enough to need to know where everythin' is…"

He looked down at her carefully, as a wistful expression filled her face.

"Just ta' humour me then?" he made sure his voice came out softer this time, and as she glanced up at him again, ready to protest some more, "C'mon, it's just a lil' tour o' the town, what harm's gonna do you? Meet me down at _'Standish Tavern_' when you're ready, I'll even buy ya' breakfast. It'll be worth it, even if you only buy some clothes that actually fit," he grinned started to back away, still facing her, noticing the baggy clothes she was wearing that she had borrowed from Nathan. She contemplated the offer for a moment, thinking of a way to turn it down.

"Fine," came her reluctant response, accompanied with a roll of her eyes, "but just so you know, I eat like a man that's been starved for a week."


	2. Chapter 2

"So what exactly is there here that you need ta' show me that I can't see for myself?"

Vin turned round in shock at the voice in his ear, almost spilling his drink over in the process. He had been waiting in the saloon whilst Amy was getting ready, and had decided to grab a drink before she arrived, he had felt he would be needing it today. Amy was standing directly in front of him, any closer and she'd have been stood on his feet. He noticed that she'd tied her long pale flaming hair into a loose side plait, hanging carelessly over her shoulder, but this seemed to be the only difference in her appearance. She was still dressed in Nathan's old clothes, a pair of baggy brown trousers and a black shirt that he was sure if she hadn't had tucked it away into the trousers would swamp her. The indignant look on her face, reminded Vin that she was waiting for a reply still.

"Nothin' like bein' shown around by a local, eh?" he grinned at her, trying to dispel the awkward feeling looming over them both. At his response Amy gave a small snort,

"A local? Please, I've seen some o' the locals here, you ain't a local,"

"I live here…" Vin could hear the strained tone in his voice, but Amy cut him off,

"Just because you live here, **for now**…don't make you a local."

Vin opened his mouth to argue back, but something in Amy's expression made him stop. There seemed to be a flash of sadness in amongst the blue of her eyes, but it was gone as quick as it came, and once again the frustrated look reappeared.

"Let's just get this over with, shall we?" she muttered turning on heel and marching out of the saloon.

"I do believe it appears that you have yourself a day full of joy with the pleasurable company of the dear Ms. Duke, Mr Tanner."

Vin could hear the grin in Ezra's voice before he turned to face him. Grabbing his hat from the bar, and giving it a quick wipe he smiled back at his friend,

"Couldn't think o' anythin' more fun Ez…" he raised his eyebrows, trailing off as he placed the hat back onto his head, and followed the path that Amy had taken only moments ago. He had expected her to have disappeared somewhere, and that it would take him the better part of his little tour to find her again, but instead she was leaning against one of the wooden bars forming the entrance to the bar. As she saw the doors swing open, she turned her head to watch Vin approach her, still smiling away. Annoyance ran through her like a river, she didn't need a babysitter, especially not one who was going to be grinning like a Cheshire cat and pretending to be her friend all day. Groaning, she pushed her hands against the post behind her until she was standing upright,

"Ready, when you are, _**tour guide**_."

Vin chose to ignore the bitterness in Amy's voice,

"Don't worry, I'll be as quick as I can," he carried on walking past her as he spoke the words, biting down on the insides of his mouth again, this time to stop himself from cursing Chris for asking him this favour. After he had walked down the saloon steps, he walked into the middle of the dusty street and turned to face her,

"You've already seen '_Standish Tavern' _and o' course the '_Gem Hotel_', so I figure we'll just take a stroll down the road, an' you see anythin' that interests ya, I'll tell you bout it…okay?" The question at the end came out as a thinly veiled ultimatum, but from the look on Amy's face, he could tell she understood the silent deal he was proposing. He watched as she took a moment, cocking her head to one side slightly, mulling it over.

"Fine," she finally answered, strolling down the steps towards him. As she reached him, she brought one finger in front of his face in a warning gesture, "but you better not be one o' those talkative kinda folk." She retracted her finger, stuffing her hands into the pockets of Nathan's trousers, switching her body away from Vin's direction to face down the street.

"Don't worry I'm definitely not…" he couldn't help grinning for real as he added the next part, "but compared ta' Chris, ya' might find me a chatterbox."

"I hate the idea of goin' back ta' that place," Buck growled. The comment wasn't quite loud enough to have been aimed at anybody, but was still loud enough to be more than just a muttering to himself under his breath. Chris looked over to his friend,

"You think I like it anymore than you do?"

Buck shook his head,

"I didn' mean it like that Chris, I just…"

Chris cut him off mid-sentence, "I know ya' didn't Buck. I didn' ask you to come though, you could just turn around an' …."

This time it was Buck's turn to interrupt his companion, "I ain't leaving you ta' do this alone Chris," a serious look filled his usually playful face, "if ya' hadn' had let me come along, I'd have just followed ya' anyway pard." He tried to smile at Chris, attempting to lighten the mood of their trip, they hadn't even reached their destination yet, and already the gloomy mood of what may lay ahead for them was hanging over them. It had been a few days ago that Chris had confided in Buck that he planned to go and find Ella, or at least any information that he could about where she might be. The conversation was still vivid in his mind, playing back over the last few nights when he had tried to sleep.

"_You know what you said to me the other night"'_

Chris had approached him as he was leaving the saloon, it was obvious to Buck that Chris had been waiting there for quite some time, waiting until he had separated from the others.

"_You're gonna have ta' refresh my memory on tha' one Chris"'_

His reply had been light-hearted, but something about Chris' mannerisms had worried him about how serious this conversation was going to be. Even for him usual self, Chris looked particularly concerned and stony faced.

"_About Ella…'Whatever you wanna do I'll be at your side. If ya' wanna find her, I'll be the first one saddled up and ready to ride out.'…."_

"_I remember…"_

Buck remembered how his breath had caught slightly in his throat as he had replied, and his stomach turn with a growing hunch about here Chris was headed with this.

"_This is me letting you know. I ride out dawn tomorrow. I don' mind if you've changed your mind, I'm just lettin' you know."_

"_Not a chance in hell you're riding out without me!"_

He had almost yelled the words at his old friend. He doubted that Chris had expected any other answer from him, but he knew that he felt as though he was burdening Buck with his troubles. He couldn't help but wonder to himself just when Chris would realise that a trouble of his, meant it was a trouble of Buck's as well. Particularly when it came to Ella: the woman who had so cruelly and coldly snatched the lives of Sarah and Adam. It felt like ice water had replaced his blood when he thought of Chris' son, the closest Buck had ever gotten to a son of his own. He had felt important in that boy's life, his '_Fun Uncle Buck_', and had grown to love him more than he had anyone before. He looked carefully at Chris,

"_Know this seems a silly question, but you sure about this Chris?"_

"_I'm sure."_

It hadn't even taken him a second to respond, and the coldness in his tone issued the sign to Buck that the conversation was over. He had watched Chris storm off, and that was it, the decision had been made. The **right** decision, he kept hoping to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

"You don't have anythin' any smaller than this?"

Vin had to laugh at the disbelieving, sceptical look on Amy's face as she held up her good arm. She was dressed in a white man's shirt, and the sight was one to behold. The shirt reached down to her knees, and the sleeves over hung her hand considerably, causing her to flap her hand in an aggravated manner that made Vin think of a baby bird trying to fly. Gloria Potter stood beside him, her brow furrowed,

"Not in men's clothing, I have some dresses here that mi…"

"No!" Amy attempted to hold her hand up in protest, but the result was the overhanging sleeve flapping in Mrs Potter's direction, "No dresses. No skirts. An' definitely no damn corsets!" Vin had to suppress a chuckle as he looked over at Mrs Potter, it was clear from the bemused expression on the older woman's face that she had no idea just what to make of Amy.

"Well….erm….are you sure Miss? Just, that looks rather large for you…"

Amy was looking down, concentrating on trying to roll up the sleeve, but getting nowhere fast with only one hand, the distraction causing her words to come out slowly and mumbled,

" I'm…sure…Argh!" she had let out the little yell at the end in frustration, as what she had managed to roll up of the sleeve, unravelled back down past her hand. Vin stepped forward to help her, but she stepped backwards shaking her head at him, accompanied with a glare that he was becoming all too well accustomed to. He couldn't help but wonder to himself whether everyone received this honour from her, or if he was particularly privileged in this respect. She turned her attention back to Mrs Potter,

"I'm **sure**. It's bad enough this is white," she had been persistent in the fact that she had wanted dark clothing, she had said that white was too easy to get dirty, but after trying on the few dark shirts Mrs Potter had in stock, she had been forced to try on the white shirts also. "This'll do," she chewed down on the words in consideration, "How much for this one, a couple of the dark ones, and couple a' pair of the black trousers?"

Mrs Potter returned to her position behind the register, and wrote down the items in her stock book, calculating the amount, "That'll be four dollars in total."

If he hadn't have been already looking in her direction, Vin would have missed the momentary flash of panic on Amy's face, before she reached into her pockets. Digging into his own pockets, he grasped at the few coins he could feel,

"Allow me," he thrust the coins into Mrs Potter's hand smiling warmly at her, before Amy could say anything. He could feel her glare boring into the back of his skull, but he had known that she wouldn't be happy about him paying for the clothes before he had chosen to take the money out of his pocket. Sure enough, when they had left '_Potter's_' and were back on the main street, she gave him the ribbing he had been expecting to receive,

"Where do you get off actin' all high an' mighty like that?" she was practically spitting the words out, and her eyes were blazing with rage. She knew that passers-by in the street were turning to look in shock at the spectacle she was causing, but she was too enraged to care. He had humiliated her, in the worst way she could think of,

"I'm no scrounger Mr Tanner! I don' need to rely on nobody in this world, especially not you! I can pay my own way, I've been takin' care of myself so far an'"

"An' look how that's turned out so far" Vin's response caught her off guard, instead of shouting back at her as she had expected, he had gentle said the words in what she could only place as a concerned manner, as he gently lifted her elbow that was poking out from her sling ever so slightly. Still furious she instinctively went to pull her elbow away from his grasp, but he had obviously been expecting this as her elbow didn't move. She could feel her blood boiling at his actions,

"Don't pretend like you know the first thing about me, cause you don't!"

He looked down at her carefully. His eyes were kind,

"I know that, an' I'm not." He released her elbow so gently, that it took her a few minutes to realise he was no longer holding her, "I didn't mean to insult or embarrass ya', it fact I only meant the opposite." She cradled her elbow with her free hand, it was unharmed, his touch had been almost as gentle as Nathan's when he had been fixing her up, but she didn't want him touching it again. It made her feel vulnerable, and there was nothing she hated more than looking like the little vulnerable girl people imagined her to be.

"How did you think payin' for me was gonna **not** embarrass me?" Her voice wasn't as harsh this time, not because she had calmed down, but because she was confused herself about what he could try and say to redeem himself. She noticed his gaze was focused on her hand still supporting her elbow, his brow furrowing in what she presumed to be a mixture of concern and guilt. Realising that he must be thinking that he had hurt her when he had grabbed her, she dropped her arm down to her side as quickly as she could.

"It was only tha', I saw the look on your face when Mrs Potter said the price, an'…it looked like ya' didn't have the money on ya'…an' I knew I had that much on me." He paused, raising his eyes from where they had been staring at her elbow to look at her face, "I figured I'd pay for them in the shop, an' you can pay me back when ya' go back to ya' hotel and get the money…" His words had grown quieter as he finished, unsure about how Amy would react to this. He was watching her intently, but he couldn't read her expression. Her anger was gone now, but he wasn't sure if he had preferred it when she had been angry, at least then he had been able to tell how she was feeling.

Amy stared up at him, studying his eyes closely for a moment. He was being genuine. She dropped her eyes and forced herself to take deep breaths, she could feel the colour rising in her cheeks, and she couldn't afford to look anymore of a fool than she already felt.

"I'm sorry," she had meant for the words to come out louder, but instead they left her mouth a whisper.

"You weren't ta' know," the softness in his tone only added to the guilt and embarrassment she was feeling. She looked up to meet his gaze again, this time a little less flustered,

"Doesn' matter. I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that at you. It's just…" her eyes grew serious, "I ain't nobody's **charity**." The words left her mouth with such disdain. He smiled at her, not a mocking or jesting smile, but a sincere one,

"I know."

But she didn't. A sick feeling grew in Amy's stomach. She would pay Vin back for the clothes, she would have forced him to take the money, even if he hadn't have planned for her to do so. She had already had an argument with Chris and Mary about staying in the hotel yesterday. A man with whooping cough had been brought to see Nathan, and so she had had to leave the room in his clinic. She's had no problem with this of course, she had already discharged herself from his care as soon as he had finished treating her arm, but it meant that Nathan had mentioned to Chris and Mary that Amy needed to stay somewhere in town. Naturally she had refused to intrude on either of them and their homes, so the two had plucked together and forced her to stay in a hotel. She hadn't minded this that much either, it was the fact that upon attempting to pay the concierge at the counter, she had been informed with a beaming smile that her bill was taken care of for as look as she was under 'town-arrest' by Nathan. Vin paying for her would have been too much for her to bear, she already felt like enough of a charity case.

"Shall we?"

The sound of Vin's voice interrupted her from the contemplation, and she looked over to him, standing with a slight smile on his face, and his arms raised gesturing down the street. She managed to throw him back a smile, which she could tell by the gob-smacked look on his face, he wasn't expecting.

Buck Wilmington jumped down from the horse, giving it a gentle pat as he walked away from tying it up in the livery. Chris was standing outside, lighting a cigar as Buck walked up to him.

"Oh Purgatory, I haven't missed you one lil' bit."" Buck called out, looking around him at their surroundings, "actually, maybe I have…" he grinned noticing a passing woman.

Chris laughed at his friend, and scouted around the town quickly with his eyes.

"Looks like Purgatory mighta' missed you too," Buck motioned his head over towards a young woman, adding with a smile, "stud."

Chris looked over to where the woman was stood. He recognised her immediately, it was Maria, a prostitute who had been kind to him, in more ways than one, the last few times he had visited the town of Purgatory. It had been months since he'd last been here, the week in which Ella had come back into his life in-fact. He'd been drowning his sorrows with Maria for company the day before he's encountered her again, the anniversary of his wife and son's deaths. Maria was walking over towards him, a welcoming smile on her face,

"Hello stranger," her thick Mexican accent, drawling over the words, "Long time, no see."

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit Pard," Buck winked at Chris as he began to walk past the pair. Chris opened his mouth to shout after him, but Buck had already turned around to face him, arms up in the air and still walking backwards, "Don't worry, I know we're here on business, no….funny business an' tha'," he grinned as he walked away. Even though his tone was jokingly, Chris knew that Buck would stay focused and on task. He averted his gaze from his friend walking away and back to Maria. She was now supporting a mock pout on her pretty face,

"That sounds like no fun for us," she threw him a wicked smile as she spoke the words. He smiled in an apologetic manner briefly before a solemn expression filled his face again, "'Fraid not Maria, I need your help. Can I ask you some questions?"


	4. Chapter 4

"She doesn't look familiar…" Maria held the picture closer up to her eyes, studying it intently. Finally she lifted her eyes from the photograph, leaning back and handing it to Chris, "No, sorry Chris she hasn't been in Purgatoria."

Chris took the photograph from Maria's hand, catching a glimpse of it. Ella Gaines was smiling up at him, a full beaming smile, dressed to the nines. He had acquired the photograph from Mary, who had dug it up from past archive files. He could tell that it had taken her some trouble to gather, after all photos of Ella were not exactly commonplace in the newspapers, but Mary had presented him with the picture, shrugging off any effort she had made.

"_It was really no trouble. If anything I was happy to get it for you…"_

Mary had paused, biting her lip, it was obvious that she wanted to say something, but was unsure as to whether or not to voice it aloud to him. Then she had looked up at him, fear shining through so clear in her green eyes,

"_I know you need answers, but…be safe Chris."_

He realised he ha been staring down at the photograph, and quickly tucked it away into the inside pocket of his black jacket. The smile on the murderess' face was already imprinted on his eyes. Whenever he closed them he saw her there. He tried to soothe the burning rage he could feel swelling inside of him, she had already taken away his wife and child from him in reality, but now she had also replaced their image. He looked up at Maria, forcing a small smile,

"It don't matter, knew it was a long shot anyway." It was true, he had been sceptical that Ella would have been in Purgatory, and he had known that if she had been here, she wouldn't have been so careless as to let herself be seen. He sighed, running his hands through his hair carelessly. He and Buck had decided to stop in Purgatory only briefly, a chance to grab a quick rest for them and the horses, and to ask a couple of questions. He had known that it was highly unlikely anyone would have any information on Ella, but he had been silently praying to himself the whole journey. Without Ella he was just grabbing at straws, any other leads, like 'Handsome Jack', and Cletus Fowler had been killed. He stood up, grabbing his hat from its place on Maria's bed, but she was standing beside him before he could place it back onto his head,

"Maybe I could make it up to you some other way, no?" she seductively purred into his ear. Memories of how he had drowned his sorrows in Maria's company on the third anniversary of Sarah and Adam's deaths flooded back. How easy it had been to fall into her arms, a woman who he knew barely anything about, and she him. That had been a large part of the attraction, but not this time. He wouldn't allow himself to be distracted, wouldn't take his eyes off the ball, but somehow he knew this wasn't the only reason.

"I'm 'fraid not Maria. Thank you for your help though."

He tipped his hat at her as he walked past towards the door, knowing that he wouldn't be coming back into this room again. Maria wasn't the one that could console him anymore.

Chris easily spotted Buck as soon as he walked into the saloon. The bar was filled with rowdy Mexican peasants, raucously murdering some lively tune, clinking glasses and slopping beer and tequila everywhere, apart from the moustached gunslinger, who stood at the far corner of the bar, laughing into his beer at the spectacle. Upon noticing his friend approaching, a wide grin lit up Buck's face, accompanied by an arched eyebrow,

"Well, I wasn' expectin' ta' see you for a good while yet Pard."

Chris let out a short chuckle, as he signalled for the bartender to bring him a shot of whiskey,

"Sorry to disappoint ya' there," he grinned as he seated himself down beside his friend. A sombre expression filled Buck's face,

"No luck?"

Chris grabbed the shot glass, necking the alcohol in one motion,

"Nope," his reply came out breathy on the bitterness of the whiskey.

"I'm ready ta' ride when you are."

Chris thanked Buck wordlessly, and he knew his friend understood the notion. Buck knew the unspoken code between them that meant mentioning Ella and their current plan as little as possible. This was part of the reason that he had brought Buck along instead of Vin. He had seen it in Vin's expression, although he had said nothing, that he was slightly put out that Chris had chosen Buck to keep him company on his mission, and instead had asked Vin to keep an eye on Four Corners. Particularly one newly gained resident. He hadn't mentioned it to Vin, but he felt that he was leaving him with the most important job of all. The whole new life that Chris had forged for himself after Sarah and Adam was in Four Corners, and Vin was protecting that for him. Also the price on Vin's head had been considered by Chris when he selected Buck for his companion on this ride, knowing that they would be pit-stopping in many bandit towns where, as much as he would risk his life to help Chris, Vin's presence might have been more of a hindrance than help.

"Lets go, ain't no point wastin' more time here."

The two men exchanged a look, knowing that after they left Purgatory, the jesting element of their journey would be over. The closer they got to Red Fork, hopefully the closer they got to being rid of Ella Gaines for good, and that was no laughing matter.


	5. Chapter 5

"This here's the Bath House," Vin stretched his arm in the general direction of the building, "But I'm more than sure tha' Chris would be more tha' happy let ya' bathe at his ranch," he added, turning to face Amy with a wicked smirk. She had been absent-mindedly gazing down the street, feigning that she wasn't paying attention to Vin, but as her head whipped round to face him he knew he'd caught her out.

"There is a perfectly good workin' bath in my hotel room thank you **very** much!"

She practically growled the words out at him, but secretly she was surprised by them. Vin had hardly mentioned Chris all day, and although Amy was intrigued by the black clad rider, she hadn't wanted to press Vin about him. Not since her earlier outburst. She doubted how much Vin had actually meant the words he had spoken, firstly on account of him not seeming to be the lewd type, she had encountered enough of them to know, but also due to the fact that she suspected he was only attempting to gain a rise from her.

"Well, unless you get a job round here, don' think you'll be stayin' in tha' hotel long after tha' arm of yours gets fixed," she was sure she saw his smile grow even more as he paused, "An' Chris' place is gonna be much less hassle for ya' then takin' a wash in here with the men folk in town…"

She was sure that he was testing her fuse now, but decided not to bait him. It may be more to her advantage to keep calm for the moment she reasoned with herself. Again he'd mentioned Chris, perhaps now was the opportune moment for her to ask some of the questions that had been plaguing her thoughts. She carefully inspected the man before her; Vin was babbling on about some new topic now, the cheeky grin gone, but his face still retained a friendly manner to it, even as he spoke about their surroundings. She couldn't place it exactly but something about this man intrigued her greatly, almost as much as Chris did. There was something about Vin that separated him from this six companions, made him unique. _Probably his background, _she thought to herself. Vin was now gesturing in the direction of a building a couple of doors down from the Bath House,

"I believe tha' you've met Mary Travis? She runs this here office for _'The Clarion_' newspaper…"

He had taken a few steps forward towards the building before realising that Amy wasn't following him. Halting, he turned to see her stood with her hands folded across her chest, head cocked slightly to one side. _Here we go again_, he muttered in his head, as he started to walk back over towards Amy's still figure, but as he gained on her, he began to notice her expression. Instead of conveying some kind of bored or annoyed look that he had been expecting, an air of thoughtfulness hung over her pretty face. As he stood in front of her, Amy's eyes shot up to meet his, her eyebrows furrowing slightly,

"How did you meet Chris and the others?"

A perplexed look crossed over his face, as he wondered how he gone from guiding her around the town to her asking him about his past, although he had been expecting some kind of inquisition about their position in Four Corners. He squinted at her as he cleared his throat,

"Nathan didn' tell you about wha' we do here? How we were…"

"Yes, yes, he explained all about how you were all hired to look after the town," she rolled her eyes and flapped her hands in an uninterested motion as she spoke, stepping over towards the saloon steps, "but I wanted to know about how you all met, not what ya' do." She reached one of the wooden posts, leaned back on tiptoes and eased herself onto the beam. Vin scratched his head in contemplation for a moment, and she could practically see the cogs turning as he mused about whether to answer her question. Sensing his hesitation, she softened her tone,

"I understand if you don' wanna tell me, didn't mean to intrude."

Vin rested one of his heels on first step, and leaned forward on his raised leg,

"Na' it's okay, if I don' tell ya, figure it'll get back ta' ya anyway, one way or another."

A smile lit up on Amy's face, _I'm wearing him down_, she thought to herself. Vin screwed up his mouth, obviously struggling at which point to begin his explanation,

"We all met when we were asked ta' help protect a Seminole village nearby. I was workin' here in _'Watson's Hardware'_, remember I showed it ta' you earlier?"

Amy said nothing but nodded her head to show that she was paying attention, allowing Vin to continue,

" I'd been in town for 'bout a week before I met the others. I met Chris an' Nathan when we had ta' save a crowd from hangin' him," he paused with a slight chuckle at her horrified expression, "Nathan I mean, not Chris."

"Still, why the heck would they wanna hang Nathan?" she asked incredulously.

"One o' the patients he had been treatin' died. Mary stood up for Nathan, an' me and Chris stepped in ta' stop it. Then we slowly gathered the others one by one, some by knowin' them, some by reputation," he laughed again as he remembered JD, 'an' some by persistence. An', well then as ya' know, we were hired ta' protect this town after all tha', an' tha's how we met." He gave his knee a little slap and he leaned back , "C'mon, you hungry? Reckon y'all like the food in here," he pointed forwards to the saloon and went to remove his raised leg from the step, but Amy waved her hand around in frustration,

"That's really it?" one of her eyebrows raised suspiciously as she spoke.

Vin smiled as he figured out what she was trying to ask him, but after the pain she'd been all day he was going to make her work for answers, "Yep, tha's how we all met." He mirrored her raised eyebrow in a secretly mocking signal, "Ya' did ask **how** we met…right?"

"Suppose I did…." She was kicking her legs back and forth now, unconsciously fidgeting in impatience, "But you said you were only here for a week before you met…?"

Vin carried on acting dumb to Amy's obvious implied question, "Tha's right I did, guess you were listenin' after all," he smiled at her. Amy narrowed her eyes slightly at Vin, she had a good mind that he was doing this on purpose,

"Well how'd you get here?"

"Runnin." He waited for her to press him for more information but she said nothing, her eyes downcast. Suddenly his curiosity about the young woman before him increased,

"Tell you wha', Lets take it in turn ta' ask questions, you had one, so now it's ma' turn, deal?" He resisted the urge to grin at Amy's bewildered face as she looked up. She hesitated for a moment, weighing up her options, if she participated in Vin's idea, then he'd have to answer whatever she asked him, but this also applied to her regarding his questions. She let out a small sigh under her breath, she knew that her thirst for knowing the answers was one of her flaws,

"Fine, you have a deal. Am I right in thinkin' that you are closest to Chris in your little gang of seven?" she leaned forwards slightly as she asked, for a split second causing Vin to worry that she might overbalance and fall off the beam. He held up his hand, and formed it into a fist with only one finger left pointing upwards,

"Fraid you've already asked one question, tha' makes two," he lifted a second finger next to the first, "But," he added noticing the slight annoyance forming on Amy's face. "spose tha' I didn' make the deal until after ya'd asked." He dropped his hand, and placed both hands onto his hips, leaning his stance ever so slightly to the right, "Buck an' Chris have known each other the longest outta' the seven o' us."

"Jus' cause you've known someone a long time, don't mean they're your closest friend…" Amy prompted him to answer her more thoroughly. Vin gave his chin a little stroke before he answered,

"Yeah, outta the seven o' us then I'd say tha' Chris is the one I know best, an' same with him an' me," he narrowed his eyes at her in confusion, "Why'd tha' interest ya' Amy?"

"I just wondered why he'd leave you here, to **baby-sit** me. I'm assumin' that wherever he's gone off, it's got somethin' to do with that Ella woman…If it were me, I'd want my best friend to come with me…"

He took a sharp intake of breath, unsure as to how she would react to his next revelation, "I was framed for murderin' a man in Tascosa." Her eyes looked up to meet his, not in horror, or shock, but in sympathy, "If anythin' I'd be a holdin' him up…"

Vin's face hadn't changed his facial expression at all as he spoke, but she recognised sadness in his eyes, like a glassy veil over his memories.

"There no way that you can clear your name? I'll help if you like?" she offered, softly, but she was careful not to sound patronising or pitying.

Vin's mouth formed into a sad, wistful smile, "Fraid not Amy," she opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off, "The guy who did it is dead."

"I'm sorry Vin." The words came out sincere.

Vin smiled a thank you at Amy, and shrugged his shoulders,

"S'alright, ain't gonna change so jus' gotta deal with it," realising that although he'd been telling himself these words silently since Eli Joe had died, saying them aloud to another person made them finally feel real. Shaking off his feelings of self-pity, he turned his attention to his hidden agenda. He'd been waiting for an opportunity to ask Amy some questions, to find out more about this strange girl,

"How'd you wind up here in Four Corners?"

He watched intently with a slight grin as the most reluctant expression he'd ever seen formed on Amy's face, but she knew she had to play fair, and with a slight slump of her shoulders began to answer him,

"Alright, I was just passing through, on my way to Eagle Bend. Hadn' planned to stop here, except for a little rest," she paused for a moment, thinking how best to carry on. She figured that if she lied through her teeth to him, Vin might pick up on it, after all he wasn't one of the usual fools she encountered on her travels. But there was no was she was going to tell him the whole truth as well.

Vin let out a small laugh as he noticed Amy's nose crinkle as she paused,

"Tha's bout the momen' when Chris came an' cocked it all up for ya?"

She smiled in relief, Vin had assumed that her silence was due to her recalling the events in her head, maybe she could get away with this after all.

"That's right, and once I get rid of this damn thing," she attempted to raise her left arm, encased in it's sling, but failed, only managing to wiggle it slightly in annoyance, "I'll be back on my way." As she began to slide herself off the beam, Vin stood in front of her, blocking her way,

"Now hold on a second, think I deserve a lil' bit more information than tha'…" His eyes were boring down on her with a gentle questioning nature about them, making her feel uncomfortable. She was used to men staring at her, either leering in a disgusting and sometimes drunken manner, or staring in anger, with hostility blazing in their eyes, but she'd never had a man stare at her kindly before.

"Born in Kettleston," she began, hoping that if she gave him a little bit more information he'd stop staring at her like that. A contemplative look appeared on Vin's face at the name of the town, he was sure he'd heard of it from somewhere before, but he couldn't for the life of him remember where. He didn't say anything, waiting for Amy to continue with her story, and when she said no more, he could tell this was going to be a long and painful process for the both of them.

"How'd you end up so far away from home then?" he prayed that he was right in assuming there was a fair distance between the two towns. A disgruntled look formed on Amy's face,

"I was born there, don' mean that place is my home." She basically spat the words out, as Vin let out a slight cheer in his head that his gamble had paid off and she hadn't rumbled him on his guess, "the further I am from Kettleston, the better."

The anger was clear in her voice, but her eyes seemed to cloud over, in a distant way that led him to believe she was recalling bad memories. He decided not to push his luck any further, at least, not for the time being.

"Well, don' know bout you, but tha's enough chit-chat for me, lets get somethin' ta eat,"

Amy flashed a grateful smile at the tracker, but he noted that the wistful look was still present in her eyes,

"Vin, you read my mind."


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long between this update and the last, been SUUUUUUPER busy with C/wk and so on, but I promise to try and upload the next chapters a lot speedier, hope you enjoy reading Thank you.

The road seemed never-ending, and though he was sure that the heat had a part to contribute in that, Buck knew that it was the anticipation of their destination that was mainly causing this feeling. He and Chris were travelling longer and faster than they usually would have for such a distant journey, but Buck knew that Chris was eager to make pace today of all days. He glanced over towards his companion. Chris was wearing the stony expression that was so commonplace upon his face, and had been for the past few years now, and Buck wondered about what was running through his mind. Many times he found himself questioning what was going on in Chris' head when he held this expression, often Buck pondered whether Chris thought about Sarah and Adam in those quiet moments. He knew that the memories of this past life with his wife and son still haunted Chris, or at least they had done last year. Recently he had supposed that Chris' mind was fixed upon thoughts of Ella, and how best to extract his revenge on the woman. Looking ahead, he noticed a familiar rocky pass that indicated they were gaining on the town of Red Fork. Normally he wouldn't have been able to pick up so well on a detail of a journey that he had only taken once, but the route they had to take seemed to be imprinted on Buck's mind like a cattle brand. An uncomfortable sensation rushed through Buck, chilling all the way down his spine, he had been aware of a similar feeling creeping over him slowly since they had left Four Corners, but it was growing the closer they got to Red Fork. It shocked him to remember that it had only been this morning that he and Chris had begun their travels, it felt like days now. Eager to shake off the discomfort that had arisen within him, Buck cleared his throat,

"Reckon tha' Inez is gonna be missin' me mighty bad," he jested aloud, waking Chris from his thoughtful trance.

"Missin' the tab ya'd be runnin' up on the bar more like it," it had been meant to come out in more of a jokey tone, but there was a definite grumble to Chris' words. Buck chose to ignore this, he knew his friend wasn't angry at the conversation, it wasn't that Chris hated to talk at all, it was more that his mind was somewhere else most of the time.

"Any thought ta' what ya' gonna do after this pard?"

Chris turned to face Buck, a look of mild confusion on his face,

"When we find her? I haven' decided yet. Doubt she'll come easily, or fight fair…" his voice trailed off as his thoughts flooded through his brain about which would be the best way to approach Ella when they found her. After discovering the extent of crooks that Ella had on hire, no doubt she'd be well protected and difficult to get to, but that wouldn't matter for Chris. Not this time. He'd take out every last one of them, or die trying. Again Buck's voice cut into his train of thoughts,

"Tha's not wha' I meant Chris." Noticing the quizzical look on Chris' face, Buck carried on, "After all o' this. After Ella is outta tha' picture. You musta' had some thoughts 'bout life after an' wha' you want?" Buck sucked in a depth breath before quietly adding the last part, "Or who ya' want…"

Chris stared down the rein in his hands, his grip tightened unconsciously, his knuckles turning white. Buck's words struck him deeper than he had expected, and he was determined to not let this become visible. He thought of how he had felt after Cletus Fowler had died, he hadn't been relieved as such, it had been hard to adjust to the idea of not hunting for his wife's killer after doing so for so long, but he had begun to think about the future. And Mary had been the first one he'd thought of, however whenever they had seemed to be getting anywhere, something had always come between them. And then of course had come Ella. She had re-awoken old feelings from when they had both been young and so much more carefree. He'd began to feel that he could leave that chapter of his life behind him, never forgotten but maybe it was time to start again, up until the point that he'd discovered that not only was the killer of Adam and Sarah still alive, but that very woman he'd been planning on building a new life with. Left broken, with the foundations of his world well and truly collapsed, any hope he had felt of moving on had been shattered in an instant. He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat at the thought of all that had been so cruelly snatched away from him, this time he wouldn't be so complacent and foolish as to plan a new life before making sure the deed was done. Turning to face Buck, making sure to retain the cool expression on his face,

"Can' afford to think past that Buck," and when his moustached friend replied with a silent nod, he muttered to himself under his breath, "can' afford to think past that…"


	7. Chapter 7

Vin found himself staring up at the hotel in front of him. He leaned back again the wooden post behind him, as the cool breeze of the night ran across his cheek. _Storm's passin'_,he noted to himself. Behind him, he could hear the tipsy cries of gamblers in surprise that once again Ezra had beaten them and normally he would have been smirking at the blatant robbery his friend was committing on these men from a dark quiet corner, but tonight he yearned for the calm silence that he found in the street. Time alone with his thoughts. He scratched his two days stubble as he reflected on the events of his day,

"_You were right,_ _tha' was_ _delicious."_

She had beamed at him so wide as she finished her meal, that Vin couldn't help but laugh, she had practically inhaled the food.

"_Sure glad ya' liked it."_

He had hoped the food would help to break the awkward silence that had fallen over them since his attempt at finding out more about their town guest earlier that day. He had sensed that she was slightly on edge, and from the short contributions she had been making in their conversation he had picked up the impression that she was worried that he would begin questioning her again. He had been concentrating so hard on trying to find a way ease some information out of her; he knew if he pushed her too far she'd close up completely, reminding him of one of his friends all too much, that he didn't notice that he was fiddling with his knife, pointing it with the tip down on his clean napkin and twisting it, until he dropped the knife with an almighty clang onto the floor.

"_Dang it,_ _sorry, didn' even realise I was doin' it_,"

He had apologised to Amy as the noise drew him out of his thoughts, and he noticed her flinch at the noise. It was only then that he had realised that she had been inspecting him closely. She had tilted her head to one side slightly, the difficultness that she had been aiming at Vin draining away from her face as she did so.

"_It's alright, you seemed miles away, you okay?"_

A silent yelp of glee resounded in his head, she was presenting him with a way in. He shrugged his shoulders, acting coolly and fixing his gaze on his knife, which he was now twirling again in his fingers,

"_Jus' thinkin'"_

He had to bite the inside of his mouth to stop himself from smiling as he noticed Amy take a deep inhale of breath from his peripheral vision, so deep that it seemed like the sentence she was about to say was burning her throat,

"…_You wanna talk about it?"_

It was only then that he had allowed himself to stare up carefully at the woman in front of him. Although Amy wore an expression that looked as though the words she had just spoken had left a bitter taste in her mouth, there was a clear caring aspect to her look. He had watched as her eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly, and her already wide blue eyes had enlarged with concern. She had leaned forwards in her chair, as if to signal to him that she was interested in what he was about to say, and he had known that his was his golden opportunity to try and implement his plan again,

"_Was jus' wonderin' as ta' how Chris an' Buck migh' be gettin' on…"_

He had trailed off, partly because it left the conversation open for her to contribute, but also because he was unsure of what to add at the end, unsure of how he was actually feeling.

"_I'm sure they're gettin' on alright…"_

She had paused, and he waited with baited breath, praying for her to carry on.

"_An' I'm sure that he appreciates you staying here and lookin' after the town…"_

Relief had flooded over his at her statement, she had taken the bite, and if he played his cards right she might tell him more about herself.

He kicked his leg out, watching as the dust he kicked up spiralled around in the breeze. He couldn't shake that sentence from his brain. He couldn't decide whether it was because he agreed with Amy's words or whether it was because he hadn't thought about it like that but something she had said struck a chord within him. He attempted to push the uneasy feeling away, and focused on the little information that he had finally managed to draw out from Amy.

"_So ya' got family in Eagle Bend? Friends?"_

A poignant smile had filled her face, but she didn't speak, leading him to continue,

"_C'mon, there's gotta be some reason tha' you'd be riding out there…by yourself,"_

He had added the last part in a slightly questioningly manner, hoping that if he was wrong she would be too stubborn to ignore it and have to correct his error, but also that if he was right he could ascertain more information about this stranger in front of him. Once again he hit the nail on the head, as Amy had seemed to fight answering for a moment, before shaking her head,

"_No family. Guess you could say I was vistin' friends, and yeah, I'm alone. I always ride alone."_

Vin smiled to himself as he remembered the way in which his tracking skills had helped him to try and read this girl, though it seemed that every time he believed he had her figured out, she would take some new action, leaving him baffled once again. She had said the words in such a defiant way, as if daring him to challenge her competency at riding by herself, but thinly masked melancholy was clear to him in her features.

"_An' then ya' got shot….You an' your friends have a lil'…misunderstandin'….?"_

The brief exposure of her sadness had disappeared as briefly as it had arrived, and he had studied carefully as she had attempted to pull as blank an expression as possible, but she couldn't hide the concoction of pain and rage pooling in her eyes,

"_Not at all. I got caught in the crossfire of a gun fight…Just seem to be unlucky like that…"_

He banged his head gently against the bar he was leaning against, trying to figure out this girl. She had been through something, either a part of it or a witness, he couldn't decide which, but whatever it was it had affected her pretty badly. Not that she would ever admit it, especially not to Vin or any of the seven. Except maybe Chris. He had noticed that the two were more similar than either would probably care to admit, and it made him consider carefully the way that Chris had seemed to perk up after Amy's arrival in town. Granted there had not been a huge change in Chris' behaviour, and to most he would still seem as withdrawn as before, but Vin could notice the shift, although it was tricky to understand whether Chris' change in behaviour was due to him acting out his revenge on Ella. Vin had also noticed that Amy seemed to ask about Chris more than the other members of the seven, and whilst this could also be attributed to other factors, such as her having had more interaction with Chris than anyone else, but he sensed it was more than that. And it worried him. He couldn't figure out whether Amy was trouble or not, and until he could, he wouldn't allow a woman the chance to hurt his friend. Not again.


	8. Chapter 8

The muffled, drunken sobs could be heard all the way out from the street. She crept along the wooden floorboards towards him, her bare feet creating a soft padding noise that seemed to sound resonate loudly through the empty halls. She was unsure of what she would find, but the noise was unmistakable. She turned the corner into the living room, peeping her head around the door in a slow and careful manner, and there she saw him. Hunched over, elbows resting on knees, and head in hands, his body rising and falling in at an increasing pace, losing the battle against his pride, unable to keep inside the tears of despair. She froze in the doorway. Half of her ached to run over to him, to wrap her arms around him and console him, to let him hold her close and bury his face and his warm tears into hair. The other half wanted to turn and run, run as far and as quickly as she could, leave this painful scene behind her. She wasn't even breathing now, only staring as he man before her gave into his grief. He rose from his crouching position beside the window, grabbed the coffee table next to him and flipped it over, the glass scattering across the floor. He swayed for a moment, staring at the shattered pieces, before slumping down back against the windowsill. She watched as one of his legs outstretched, the bare fleshy underneath of his foot dangerously close to the glass fragments. Running to the cupboard, she grabbed a small sweeping brush, and began trying to collect the glass fragments into a pile in the corner, it was dark in the room, but the moonlight streaming in from the window made them glint, like pieces of forbidden treasure. She surveyed the floor now, it appeared as though most of the glass had been removed, and she began to approach him now. The leg that was not outstretched was bent upwards, his arms resting on it as his uncontrollable weeping made his whole body convulse. She was not near enough to touch him yet, but she could smell the stench of tequila on his breath, and as she edged towards him, the smell seemed to engulf her, to the point that it felt like it was begging to suffocate her. It was only then that he noticed her, or acknowledged her presence if he had seen her before, and he raised his head to look at her. His eyes were bloodshot, from both crying and alcohol, the watery streaks down his cheeks shinning in the pale silver light. Matted sections had formed in his beard, signalling to her that he had been crying on and off for some time before she had heard him. His pained expression quickly clouded over, and he threw a dark glare at her before turning his eyes away from her. He hated her to see him like this, she had realised this, she was the only one who saw him this way, the only one who ever saw him cry, and she could sense this angered him, possibly even made him resent her. She crawled up onto a chair in the darkest corner of the room, the one that allowed her to face him directly. He would fall asleep soon, slouched over in his favourite spot by that windowsill, and she would sleep in the chair, but only after she was sure he would be okay.

Amy woke with a start, her breath caught in a lump in her throat. She was covered in a light cold sweat, and though it was a warm night, she knew it was the dream that had caused it. She drew her legs into her body, wrapping her arms protectively around them, clutching her knees under her chin. She held this position for a moment, before quickly throwing the covers back and jumping out of the bed in disgust with herself. The protective stance she had allowed herself to form seconds ago, was the exact same one that she had formed on the old chair so many times watching him sleep of his drunken rage, she wouldn't permit herself to retreat into that position again. She wandered over to the window and stared down at the street, not really taking in the sight at all, but aiming to distract her mind from what it had just witnessed. It was no good; her body was still shaking from the images that had flooded through her dream. She opened the window a fraction, enough to allow fresh air to circulate around the room, but not too wide, as there was an unmistakable chill in the wind tonight. Although listening to the quietness that surrounded her, she sensed it was more likely to be the early hours in the morning. The shivered slightly, drawing the oversized man's under-shirt that had been part of the pile of old clothes that Nathan had donated to Amy upon her arrival, closer to her. She paced back over to the bed, and sat herself down gently. It had been a long time since she had let herself think about that house, that room, a very long time. She had not been prepared for the memories that had formed her dream this night, if anything she forced herself to try and forget, but all she could see now was her seven year old self, afraid to fall asleep in case her father hurt himself anymore in drunken anguish.

His legs were beginning to ache now. He had been riding for what felt like forever and as the familiar scenery of Four Corners sprang up around him, as he rocked instinctively with the rhythm of his horses' hooves. He could see a figure in the distance, alone in the dark street. He was too far away to make out who it could be, all he could ascertain for now was that the outline belonged to a woman, but he sensed something familiar about this silhouette that he couldn't quite place. As he continued to trot towards her, she also stepped towards him, her hips sashaying in a way that he knew he had seen before, but it wasn't until he was directly in front of her that the realisation of horror dawned on him. He could have identified those brown eyes anywhere, dark, emotionless, just staring straight at him. She cracked a conniving smile at him, flicking the brown curls on her face away from her eyes as she cackled with laughter, and turned, running away from him down the street, the hideous witchy laugh echoing around the deserted street. For a moment he sat there, dumbstruck at the image of Ella Gaines galloping away, before he snapped to him senses. Springing down from his horse, he sprinted after her. He was fast, much faster than Ella, and as he reached her, he grabbed at her arm to twist her around to face him. She attempted to pull away from his grasp, fighting his strong grip, which resulted in her falling to the ground in a cloud of dust.

"Get up!" he growled, in a voice so furious it was hard for him to even recognise it as his own. She slowly tipped her head up towards him, the manic smile still present on her face, but something wasn't right. Her eyes appeared to be a murky green shade now. _That's impossible_, he thought to himself, _Been riding so long now I'm gettin' delirious!_ But as Ella stood up he noticed her eyes again, now a piercing light green. He took an unconscious step back from her in horror. The smile still remained on her face, spread so wide that there was an undeniable crazy looking aspect to it,

"I knew you'd miss me. Nothin' can keep us apart, you see it now." She raised her, and touched the back of it against his cheek, but before she could even attempt to stroke it he grabbed it, harder than he meant to as he heard an undeniable crunching sound. Ella didn't even wince at the noise, or the searing pain that he knew she must be feeling from a broken finger or two. Instead the eerie smile remained uninterrupted on her face, but before he could rely to her comment, he observed that her eyes were now a bright blue colour, changing right in front of his eyes. He threw her hand away in disgust, unable to hide his repulsion,

"What the hell are you?"

Her lips hardly moved, permanently glued into the hysterical smile,

"But Chris I'm everythin' you've ever wanted." He stood frozen to the spot in disbelief at what was happening as Ella paced backwards, still facing him, her eyes never leaving his horrified gaze, until she fell under a shadowed part of the street. Seconds later he two figures appeared from the darkness, and began walking towards him, exactly where Ella had been. _Mary? Amy?_ The gunslinger stared in bewilderment as the two women stepped slowly towards him, synchronised in step and pace. They stopped shoulder to shoulder directly in front of him, and Chris instantly acknowledged in confusion the piercing light green shade of Mary's eyes, and Amy's bright blue eyes. Without a word they moved so that they were positioned one either side of him, Amy to his right, Mary on his left. They both spoke at the same time, perfectly synchronised,

"What is it that you **really** want Chris?" He recoiled at the unnatural sound of Ella's voice leaving their mouths,

"**Who** is it that you want?" He recoiled even more this time as it was Buck's voice that resonated from the lips of the women.

He woke sat bolt upright, with his Colt revolver in his hand pointing forwards in the darkness. Heart racing he glared around the room, scowling at the trick his mind was playing on him. Buck was still sound asleep across the other side of the room, muttering sweet nothings in his sleep to whichever woman he was seducing in his dreams. They had gotten the cheapest room they could find, which had resulted in them sharing for the night. Chris hadn't particularly minded that much, after all it was only for then night, though he had thrown a scowl or two at the raised eyebrows by the hotel clerk. He leaned his head back against the cool wooden wall, still sitting upright in his bed for the night. He had known coming back to this town would be hard, for both of them. He threw a sorrowful glance over at Buck as he swore he heard the moustached man whisper _'Hilda'_ ever so softly in his sleep. Chris redirected his gaze to the cracked ceiling in an attempt to give Buck some privacy, and swallowed the lump building up in his throat. He put it down to frustration, and tried to recollect his thoughts. Today hadn't gone as planned. They'd reached Red Forks as the evening had begun to settle in, and no one that they had questioned in town had seen or heard from Ella since the last time they had been around this area, or at least no one was willing to admit to it. Tomorrow he'd search every last part of her ranch, he didn't care if new owners lived there, or if it had been destroyed, she had to have left something behind her, some kind of clue. He banged his head gently against the wall behind him in a irritated manner, he hadn't come so far to fail, but part of him knew that Ella was too clever to have left a trail behind. A feeling of nausea gripped him as the realisation that he probably wouldn't hear from her until she wanted it to be that way struck him. The letter she had sent him flooded into his mind, and the photo she had attached to it, of the two of them at their engagement party. He shook his head, slowly at first, building up to a vigorous motion, trying to dispel the image of Ella's smiling face out of his thoughts. It had been a sham, all of it. He let out a deep sigh of self-pity, knowing that it would be a struggle for him to fall back asleep tonight, especially after that dream. Buck's words had obviously hit closer to home than even he had cared to admit, but the presence of Amy and Mary had been a surprise. Whether it was a pleasant one or not Chris was not sure of yet. It seemed like he was incapable of being able to make sense of anything these days. He closed his eyes, as the burning hot tears streamed down silently from his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

So I've decided that since I get such lovely comments, and I value your guys opinions on my writing SO MUCH, that I'm going to start replying to them at the start of each chapter starting from now, so here goes;

Hotchner and Aliciamaceenzie – Thank you both for your wonderful reviews so far, I really appreciate the kind words

C. – I'm so glad you like the character of Amy, especially since you don't usually like random characters introduced. In regards to Chris/Mary/Amy I don't want to give anything away but I can tell you that I've planned out a couple more stories involving the three, so I hope you continue to read those after this one is completed to see how it all pans out.

Buck Wilmington nodded his hat to a pretty lady as he passed by, making his way towards the exit. Pushing the swinging doors back, he drew himself up to his full height as he looked around. The street was relatively busy, but Buck was taller than most men, and had no trouble sweeping his eyes over the heads of the bustling crowd. He almost didn't notice the figure hidden away in the shade under a protruding shop roof, and probably wouldn't have if not for the burning glow of a cigar catching his eye. The right corner of his mouth turned up in a knowing smile, Chris was a master as blending in when he wanted to be. Striding over to the gunslinger, he noticed that his friend was seated on a wooden crate, and leaning against the wall next to him he cleared his throat,

"No seats available then pard?"

Even though Chris had never looked at him as he walked over, Buck had sensed that the man had been watching him from his peripheral vision, another trick that Chris had mastered well over the years. He ignored the comment from Buck, continuing to stare intently at the crowd wandering around in front of them, and took a deep toke on his cigar before stubbing it out on the ground,

"Any luck in there?"

Chris gestured to the saloon which Buck had just departed, still looking at the crowd. Buck placed his left leg forwards, slightly bent, and rested his hands on his hips as he tried to find what Chris's gaze was focused on,

"Fraid not Chris. Checked in tha' market an' all tha' shops again too. No-one here's even heard of the name Ella Gaines it seems."

"Everyone here has heard of Ella Gaines," Chris' scowl increased as he spoke the name, stepping to his feet, he finally averted his steely gaze away from the crowd to face Buck, "and they're all too afraid ta' talk about her."

Buck let out a low whistle as he considered the idea. It was perfectly logical, after everything that had happened at Ella's ranch months ago, even with it being on the outskirts of Red Fork, it would have been impossible for news not to have travelled back to the town. And that was if they hadn't heard the bullet shots first hand.

"You think she's intimidated them inta' silence?" he asked looking concerned at his friend. Chris shook his head slowly, again looking at the townsfolk passing them by,

"Not directly, doubt anyone here really knows where she's gone…but they had an idea they'd never tell us. These people ain't heroes Buck."

A slight frown formed on Buck's face,

"So what now?"

"Reckon it's time we paid a visit to that ol' ranch of hers," Chris gritted his teeth, and started to walk over towards where their horses were tied, "Been putting it off for long enough now…" he muttered the last part so low, it was almost inaudible, but Buck, who had not needed to be signalled to follow and was only a few steps behind his friend, picked up on the mumbling.

"We'll find her Chris."

"Son of a Bitch!"

Buck only just had time to register the cry from his companion before Chris flung himself from his horse, sprinting down the rest of the dirt track. Pulling Beavis to a halt, he jumped down from his own horse and chased the black-clad gunman, running at full pelt as Chris was already becoming a dot amongst the dust cloud he was kicking up.

He stopped and stared at the scene that laid before him. His mouth dropped agape in horror and his eyes widened, and his body froze. Buck's shouts increasing from the distance were drowned out by the sound of his heart beat thudding in his ears. He didn't notice that Buck had caught up with him until the other man pulled on his arm.

"What the hell has gotten inta' you Chris!" Buck hissed in his face, as he wheeled Chris round to face him. Chris stood motionless, and Buck placed his hands on his bent knees, panting for breath. He gazed up at his companion, and confusion swept across Buck's face as he took in Chris' expression, normally he couldn't always tell what his friend was thinking but he'd never seen a look like this before on anyone's face. Bemused by his companion's behaviour, Buck finally looked around him and gasped in shock. Suddenly Chris snapped out of his trance and ripped his arm away from Buck's grip. He turned slowly back to face the site, his legs moving slowly, feeling like they were made from lead. All that lay before him was ash and rubble, where the ranch had stood. He stepped forwards kicking burnt wood and blackened debris as he walked. The only surviving remnants were some of the structure from the horse paddock, the rest was gone. How could this have happened….How could he have** let** this happen? He gripped the fence rail, leaving forwards to stare at the tarnished ground. Buck watched Chris in a wary manner, as his shoulders heaved and dropped in an animated fashion, he'd only seen his friend act this way a few times in their past, and each time had not ended well.

"That damned BITCH!"

The roar that erupted was almost inhuman. He grabbed the fence and tore it from the ground, smashing and snapping the panels like twigs in his grasp. Growls of a ferocious nature mixed with a stream of expletives erupted from Chris as he destroyed anything that lay around him. Buck watched, glued to the spot in complete terror, as his friend bulldozed his way through the last standing fragments of the building. Chris continued his flurry of anger, not seeing, not feeling. A banshee cry exploded from Chris, his whole body shaking, the wail reverberated through Buck, waking him from his daze. He darted forwards attempting to grab Chris and restrain him. The blonde man shook him off, pushing him away with more force than intended, which resulted in Buck tumbling back into the newly created debris from Chris' outburst. Another animalistic growl bellowed from Chris, as he glared down at Buck. The sight of his friend seemed to cool down a part of the rage thundering inside him, but only a small part. He turned slowly, soaking in the view of the damage he had created. Wreckage was scattered everywhere, the once partially complete structure of the fence was now obliterated and strewn across the land with the other debris from the ranch. Still shaking he glimpsed at his friend still lying on the ground out of the corner of his eye, and saw patches of red on the white panels next to Buck. Chris' blood ran cold as he whirled round to face his partner, leaning down he grabbed Buck's jacket,

"Buck…you hurt?"

The moustached man shook his head, eyes still wide.

"Ain't my blood…" he motioned with his head towards Chris' bloody knuckles that were clutching his jacket. Chris followed Buck's gaze, and instantly let go, standing straight up again. He turned away from Buck once again, arching his back, raising his crimson stained hands to his head and running them through his hair in a distressed manner. He felt sick to his stomach, Ella had gotten away, destroyed every trace, every clue. Buck watched in dread as Chris stood trembling violently for what seemed an eternity until his legs gave way beneath him. It was as if he was watching the man drop to his knees in slow motion, succeeded by one last ear-shattering bellow. Shaking ever so slightly himself, Buck rose to his feet, and stepped carefully among the chaos, and approached the figure of his friend rocking lightly back and forth on his knees, head in his hands. Gently he placed a hand on Chris's shoulder, a reassuring gesture, but nothing to much, after what he had just witnessed he didn't think Chris would be wanting anything grander than that simple signal of friendship.

"I'm sorry Buck…." his voice carried an undeniable shake to it, whether it was from fighting back sobs or anger Buck was unsure, "I….I dunno what came over me…" he dropped his hands away from his face down into his lap and stared up at the man towering over him. There were trails of red smudges under Chris' eyes that eerily looked like tears of blood to Buck.

"No need ta' apologise Chris." Attempting to lighten the mood slightly but still in a sincere tone he added, "been knocked down much worse than tha' by husbands twice your size." Chris didn't respond, and lowered his eyes to survey the mess surrounding the pair,

"Everytime we get close ta' someone…" Chris trailed off as he felt himself losing the fight with the tremor in his voice. Buck knelt beside his friend, still resting his left hand on Chris' shoulder,

"I know Chris…you don' need ta' say it…" he paused for a moment, pondering, before he spoke softly again, "Listen, it might not be what you wanna hear, but maybe chasing after her ain't the best idea…" he held his hands up in a protesting manner as Chris' spun to glare at him, "Hear me out. We're gonna get her, there ain't no doubt 'bout tha', but we've lost every single lead now. An' from ma' experience, a woman tha' crazy…ain't gonna be tha' long before she comes an' seeks you out herself…" He hesitated, waiting with drawn breath for the seething response that never came. Instead Chris sat silent for a while, before nodding silently. Buck let out a soundless sigh of relief and scrambled to his feet, extending his right hand down to Chris.

"C'mon cowboy, let's get ya' cleaned up."


	10. Chapter 10

Hi guys so this is the last chapter for this story, sorry it's taken so long, forced myself to do lots of revision but here it is, I hope you enjoy and look forward to seeing you again in my next story (hopefully!).

"Oh jeez Ezra, every single time…"

J.D muttered scowling lightly as he threw his cards down on the table. The gambler grinned in response, revealing his gold tooth with a glint, and swept his arms across the table collecting the discarded cards and re-adding them to the deck.

"Perhaps if we were to enclose a pecuniary element to our frivolities here, my providence might falter Mr Dunne?"

J.D. shook his head violently, a protesting look on his face,

"Oh no, I'm not fallin' for that one again Ez….."

Ezra chuckled aloud to himself and continued to shuffle the cards in his hands, occasionally flipping the top card between shuffles,

"How about your fine self, Mr Tanner?"

"…Huh?"

Vin had been staring attentively at his tumbler, and started at Ezra's address. The gambler rolled his eyes in a humorous motion, and lifted the cards towards Vin,

"Fancy an endeavour of chance?"

Vin shook his head, still clutching his beaker carefully. Ezra shrugged at the dismissal,

"Solitaire it is…" he muttered as he began to deal out the cards in front of him, monitoring Vin out of the corner of his eye as he did, Vin regained his position of glowering at his beaker, which Ezra noticed his hand was still firmly grasping, even though it had been empty of any liquid for quite some time. He knew that Vin was one to keep to himself, but even for him this behaviour seemed strange. Something was obviously playing on the tracker's mind, although Ezra knew better than to simply ask his friend what was troubling him. If there was anything he had learnt about Vin Tanner whilst accompanying the other six men, it was that you could go a lifetime not knowing anything about him unless he wanted you to.

Buck slapped the hide of his horse gently in a thankful gesture, they'd been riding hard over the last few days and Beavis hadn't let him down at all. Grabbing the saddle and reins, he hoisted them up onto a few spare hooks and walked out of the livery. Chris was stood silently leaning against the wooden doors of the livery, the trademark 'Larabee scowl' just visible in the darkness. Buck took his place beside his friend noiselessly, and racked his brain for something to say. Chris had not said a word during their ride back, not since the incident at the site of Ella's ranch even, and Buck had known better than to press the gunslinger.

"It's okay Buck, I'm not gonna' destroy the town or anythin"

The unexpected sentence interrupted Buck's search for something to say, causing him to involuntarily turn to face his friend. Although he suspected there was a joking element in Chris' voice, the delivery of his words had been emotionless, and as Buck watched Chris' face, there was no hint of sentiment to be found their either. Realising that he was staring at Chris and had still said nothing Buck cleared this throat with a gentle cough,

"Ain't expectin' ya to Chris," he paused for a second, wondering whether to add words of comfort, but decided it would be better to not mention the events that had recently passed, "You comin' in for a few drinks?"

"After a smoke," Chris grumbled reaching into his duster pocket and withdrawing a cigar, "You go ahead"

Buck tipped his hat towards his friend and made his way over to saloon. Chris watched him go before lighting his cigar. Striding slowly in the direction of the saloon, he stopped at the base of the stairs. Chris inhaled deeply on the cigar, before dropping the used butt to the ground, twisting it with his foot, and looked up. The bright light beaming from the windows of the saloon glared at him, causing him to squint slightly, and the normally friendly bar seemed alien to him tonight. He turned to make his way back to the livery when a voice cut through the darkness,

"Not so fast, ya' think ya' can just sneak off in tha' dark?"

Chris slowed to a halt, rolling his eyes the process.

"Can't you ever leave a man ta' ponder in peace?"

Turning round he saw the cheeky grin spreading across Vin's face. He was leaning at an angle, resting his shoulder on the saloon wall with one foot crossed on top of the other.

"Now pard ya' know tha' just ain't my style,"

As he spoke he tipped his hat to Chris in a mock gesture and pushed himself up from against the wall so he was standing normally. He began walking towards Chris, ascending the steps slowly, swinging his feet and testing the air before his approach.

"Fancy comin' in for a drink? The fellas are all inside, an' I'm mighty sure tha' they'd like ta' see you"

"Everyone okay?" Chris asked with a frown of concern shadowing his face.

"Everyone's fine, believe it or not we can survive without you for a few days cowboy," the smirk was present again on Vin's face.

"Pretty sure you can survive another evening without me then," the words had come out a little more abrupt than Chris had planned, and he cursed silently in his head as he saw Vin momentarily wince at the cutting edge to his tone.

"Only meant that we hadn't seen ya' in a while Chris," frowning he stared down at the toe of his boot, absentmindedly twisting it from side to side, "you think I wouldn' wanna know what happened?" Vin hadn't even lifted his head as he had added the last sentence, but Chris could feel the hurt in his words. Sighing heavily he shifted his weight onto on foot, brushing his duster back to place his hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry Vin," Chris focused his gaze onto the window of the saloon and fixed it there, only noticing Vin lift his head out of the corner of his eye, "It didn't go well. The bitch burnt the whole place ta' the ground." Chris ground his teeth on the words as the left his mouth, and even though he heard the gasp from Vin, he continued to stare ahead at the window. He knew that Vin would want to know more details, and wouldn't drop the subject until he had gained sufficient information about what had happened, but he couldn't face it; at least not tonight. Frowning he turned back to face Vin, who's mouth was open ready to ask a thousand questions,

"I'm gonna head back to the ranch," he shook his head as he muttered the words. Vin closed his mouth slowly, a look forming on his face that Chris couldn't quite place, before nodding.

"Take care cowboy" Vin outstretched his arm and Chris did the same. Both men grabbed one another's forearms and gave them a slight shake. As they let go, Chris gave a silent nod of thanks to his friend and turned to gather his horse, turning back at the doors to stare down the street. A light flickered on in one of the hotel windows, and a familiar whirlwind of golden red swept past. Chris watched, as if in a trance as Amy opened her window wide, unawares to his gaze. From what he could make out she appeared to be wearing a white shirt that was at least four sizes too large for her small frame, and as she leant out of the window, her golden waves draped across the white linen, forming a hypnotising combination of colour. Amy jolted up, almost hitting her head on the window frame as something below her caught her sight and made her jump. Recovering, she quickly altered her behaviour and waved down at whatever it was that she had seen. Intrigued as to what had captured Amy's attention, Chris drew his gaze back down to street level, and met eyes with Mary Travis. She was dressed in a navy blue dress, her platinum blonde curls pinned back in an intricate bun. She appeared to be alone, and gave Chris a fleeting look before disappearing behind the door she was holding open. Chris watched her go, and looked back up to see Amy, but she too had disappeared, leaving Chris with only the company of Buck's words ringing around in his head;

_You musta' had some thoughts 'bout life after an' wha' you want?...Or who ya' want…?"_


End file.
